Tag: Pete Carmichael

Saints risk confusing continuity for complacency in retaining Pete Carmichael

Settling for Pete Carmichael suggests the Saints want to run a Sean Payton-and-Drew Brees offense without Payton or Brees. How much of that success was on Carmichael?

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We’re on to more of the same from Dennis Allen’s New Orleans Saints regime. The Saints have surveyed the field of candidates, interviewed a few of them, and went with another safe and comfortable choice in retaining Pete Carmichael as offensive coordinator. That lines up with other Sean Payton coaching tree moves like hiring Doug Marrone as offensive line coach and, well, picking Allen himself as head coach. They just haven’t seen a reason to seriously look outside their established circle, much less shake things up by hiring someone new.

So what’s the deal with this Carmichael move? Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan reported last week that it was Carmichael’s decision to step down to a lesser role, making room for a new offensive coordinator. He also didn’t want to interview for head coach. His first instinct wasn’t to stay on as offensive coordinator. It wasn’t until the Saints interviewed other candidates and circled back to him that he agreed to return as offensive coordinator.

Maybe that was a negotiating ploy to try and get a raise or a contract extension (or both). Maybe he just wanted to feel wanted. But it speaks to the larger narrative of Carmichael’s career — in which he’s rarely interviewed for head coaching gigs, and often taken a backseat to Payton — that he just lacks ambition. There’s a time and place for that attitude. It’s tough to see this current moment in Saints history as a good time to settle. It feels like they’re comfortable only winning 9 or 10 games a year and maybe missing the playoffs. So long as seats are filled in the Superdome and TV ratings are strong, that’s enough for them.

But hey, maybe I’m wrong. The Saints have been wildly successful throughout Carmichael’s tenure, and the 2021 season was very much an aberration. Between injuries and COVID-19 problems and suspensions, it’s easy to write that one off as an anomaly. If the Saints invest in their offense and strengthen the depth chart and get some better luck, they should be on the right track. But that would’ve been the case for anyone they hired.

And maybe Carmichael has a binder full of fresh ideas that Payton didn’t consider. We’ve all been wound so tight over him just running Payton’s plays without any changes and that may not be the case. He could very well install a couple of new packages in minicamps and usher in a bright new era of offense.

I just can’t help but doubt this being the right approach. That system was successful for so long because Sean Payton drew the plays and Drew Brees executed them. Now neither of them are here. The future of their two cornerstone playmakers is also in doubt — how many games could Alvin Kamara be suspended, and when will Michael Thomas be himself again? If the Saints are just looking to run a Payton-and-Brees offense without Payton and Brees, and with uncertainty surrounding their best pass catchers, it’s really hard to feel optimistic about this strategy. We’ll have to wait and see.

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Kentucky OC Liam Coen was ‘in the mix’ for Saints job, may join Rams instead

Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen was ‘in the mix’ for Saints job, may join Rams instead:

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Well, that’s something. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the Saints had Kentucky Wildcats offensive coordinator Liam Coen “in the mix” for the same job on their staff, though they did not ultimately offer him a contract. Instead, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports, Coen has an opportunity for a return to the Los Angeles Rams as their new offensive coordinator. He’s worked with Sean McVay before as quarterbacks coach.

Coen put himself on the college football map last season by spearheading Kentucky’s 10-3 run, designing an offense with wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and running back Christopher Rodriguez Jr. leading the way — they each racked up more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage and scored a combined 20 touchdowns. That’s exactly the sort of tandem production you’d hope he could implement with Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, which helps explain the Saints’ interest in him.

But that’s not going to happen now that the team has decided to settle with Pete Carmichael as offensive coordinator. Carmichael has split time calling plays with Sean Payton throughout his 12-year tenure as offensive coordinator, and now he’s got a shot to do it all himself. And that raises its own questions. We know he can call an effective game plan, but how much responsibility has he had in designing plays and marshalling position coaches?

Those are all concerns the Saints had to have been asking during interviews, but they won’t get real answers for until the season starts. Even if he’s only done it at the college level, at least Coen could say that he did have that proven experience. Unfortunately, he’s not in New Orleans’ plans now. And there’s a real possibility he ends up joining an NFC rival who just won the Super Bowl.

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After interviewing outside candidates, Saints stick with Pete Carmichael as OC

After interviewing several outside candidates, Saints plan to stick with Pete Carmichael at offensive coordinator:

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Huh. After interviewing multiple outside candidates including Jay Gruden, a veteran offensive coordinator and former Washington Commanders head coach, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the New Orleans Saints plan to stick with longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill confirmed the move. Just as with the promotion of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to head coach, the team is putting a premium on maintaining continuity during the post-Sean Payton era.

It makes sense. Carmichael has held the job since 2009 and has had success before as a play caller, in 2012 and again through much of the 2016 season. Now it’s time for him to fully step out of Payton’s shadow. At least the Saints did their due diligence in meeting with multiple coaches about the job before deciding to stay the course with Carmichael.

We’ll see if it works out, though. Carmichael has had more of a role in planning for games each week than in executing them, but there isn’t a coach in the league who better knows the system he and Payton built. Hopefully Carmichael is eager to introduce some of his own ideas to the mix.

And now, he and Allen have to finish adjusting the offensive coaching staff by hiring a receivers coach — and then tackle the biggest challenge of their offseason in finding a quarterback. Maybe the decision to retain Carmichael helps keep Jameis Winston in town even with other offers out there in free agency. We’ll know soon whether the Saints intend to promote from in-house at defensive coordinator or bring in one of several candidates they’ve met with.

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Report: Saints considering reunion with former OC Doug Marrone

Report: Saints considering reunion with former OC Doug Marrone, WR coach John Morton

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Dennis Allen was formally introduced as New Orleans Saints head coach on Tuesday, and some changes are on the way as he evaluates his staff and considers possible shakeups. On Wednesday, Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan reported that two former Saints assistants could join Allen’s staff: Doug Marrone and John Morton, who have each worked with Allen under Sean Payton in the past. Marrone was Sean Payton’s first offensive coordinator, hired back in 2006, while Morton initially joined the staff as an offensive assistant in 2006 and returned as wide receivers coach in 2015.

Marrone is in a curious position. He worked as Alabama’s offensive line coach last season but was replaced by Feb. 1, leaving his current status unclear. It hasn’t been reported whether he was fired, asked to resign, or chose to move on. Either way, he’s a free agent. And as a former NFL head coach in his own right (going 38-60 between stops with the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars), he could be a resource for Allen to lean on, maybe as offensive coordinator. That just wouldn’t be the exciting outside-the-box move some have been hoping for.

As for Morton: he’s been working as a senior offensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders the last few years, but it’s unlikely he’ll be retained under the new Josh McDaniels regime. Duncan adds that Pete Carmichael Jr. is likely to step down to a less-prominent role rather than remain at offensive coordinator. These moves would line up with Allen’s comment about looking to tweak the Saints offense rather than introduce any serious changes.

But that might be a problem. Sean Payton saved the Saints in 2017 by firing his longtime friends on defense and replacing them with brand-new assistants: swapping Joe Vitt for Mike Nolan, Bill Johnson for Ryan Nielsen, and totally upending the special teams staff. There’s a very, very thin line between Allen hiring people he’s comfortable working with and looking for a way to get his old friends a paycheck. It’s a tough act to pull off.

Nepotism is a plague on NFL coaching staffs. Too often coaches keep a narrow view on who they want to surround themselves by, hiring their friends or friends of their father or guys who they owe a favor. If that’s the direction Allen wants to take, the most charitable way you could spin it is saying he thinks the best way to emulate Sean Payton’s success is by bringing back all of his old assistants.

If that’s the case, why stop with Marrone with Morton? What’s Joe Vitt up to? I hear Rob Ryan and Gregg Williams are looking for work. Let’s hope Allen ends up taking a fresher approach than this initial report suggests.

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Reports: Dennis Allen looking to bring in a new offensive coordinator

Reports: Dennis Allen looking to bring in a new offensive coordinator

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Well this is interesting. Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan reports that Dennis Allen is looking to make some changes to the New Orleans Saints offense once he’s been formally hired as the team’s new head coach, including the hiring of an offensive coordinator from outside the building. It makes sense given how New Orleans has stagnated on that side of the ball in recent years, bottoming out with some of the worst performances of the Sean Payton era in 2021.

That would mean a move for incumbent offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., though Duncan adds he is expected to hang around in a different role. That’s something NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill has shared, too. While it’s a developing situation that could change course in a hurry, Carmichael has a reputation as a good soldier willing to do what’s best for the team. If Allen wants to bring in a new coordinator and bump Carmichael to, say, quarterbacks coach — he probably wouldn’t get much argument about it. But that’s just my speculation.

While Allen was selected for the job implicitly for his ability to maintain team culture and continuity from years of past success, he owes it to himself and the franchise to evaluate everything and make changes where needed. The Saints have underperformed in too many areas to avoid it, particularly offense. Bringing in a fresh set of eyes to evaluate that side of the ball and right the ship would be big.

And, hey, Eric Bieniemy is a free agent with his Kansas City Chiefs contract expiring, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It’s very possible that he and the Saints discussed hiring him as offensive coordinator for a different head coach during their eight-hour interview last weekend. It may look like a lateral move on its surface, but the Saints could sweeten the deal by naming Bieniemy assistant head coach, doubling his salary, and/or giving him full autonomy on his side of the ball. Teams haven’t wanted to hire him as a head coach after working so well in Andy Reid’s shadow. Building his own brand in New Orleans could be what Bieniemy needs to get his own head coaching job someday.

Another option to consider: Doug Marrone, the current Alabama offensive line coach who was Sean Payton’s first offensive coordinator back in 2006. He and Allen have worked together before. And he has plenty of NFL experience as the former Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach. If the Saints want someone with more experience and some familiarity with how they run things, he’d make sense. But that would hardly be an exciting change of direction.

There’s also a debate beginning about who should step in for Allen as defensive coordinator. While they likely won’t have the same autonomy in that role Allen enjoyed under Sean Payton, it’s still a job with more responsibilities and greater visibility, and a plausible path towards becoming a head coach. Defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen (who was named assistant head coach last year) is a strong candidate, but maybe it’s secondary coach Kris Richard’s job to lose. He interviewed for three different open defensive coordinator positions this offseason. He’s run his own defenses before, and a promotion could be the launchpad he needs to get looks as a head coach again. It’s a really intriguing situation.

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Pete Carmichael Jr. declined to interview for Saints head coaching job

Longtime Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. declined to interview for the team’s head coaching job:

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Two of the New Orleans Saints’ three coordinators have taken a shot at the team’s open head coaching job, but offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. won’t be one of them. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported that Carmichael was invited to interview for the position, but opted to remain in his current role; ESPN’s Mike Triplett confirmed that Carmichael chose to pass on the opportunity.

Carmichael, 50, has spent nearly his entire NFL coaching career in New Orleans as Sean Payton’s right-hand man. Initially named quarterbacks coach in 2006, he was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2009 and has held onto the job ever since. He’s interviewed for head coach vacancies with a couple of other teams over the years (most recently the Green Bay Packers in 2019), but for the most part he’s been comfortable with the title he has now. He must be familiar with the Peter Principle.

As for the Saints’ search: it’s down to a handful of candidates, including New Orleans defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores impressed the team in their meetings for the job, while ex-Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars after first interviewing with New Orleans.

But the most intriguing name on the list might be Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who is scheduled to meet with Saints brass on Sunday in New Orleans per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He’s a Super Bowl-winning play caller who helped draft and develop Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech. Nearly every team with a head coach opening has interviewed him in recent years, but he’s kept getting passed over. Maybe the Saints are the right match for him. They’ll have a tough decision to make after hosting Bieniemy for their sixth and final interview.

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It’s time for Pete Carmichael Jr. to step out of Sean Payton’s shadow

Whether he’s considered for the head coach job or sticks around under a new regime, it’s time for Pete Carmichael Jr. to step out of Sean Payton’s shadow:

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Changes are coming for the New Orleans Saints. And whether he’s considered for the head coach job or sticks around under a new regime, it’s time for longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. to step out of Sean Payton’s shadow. He’s the longest-tenured O.C. in the league (having been promoted in 2009, after first working as quarterbacks coach since 2006), and he’s got a tremendous opportunity in front of him to prove his worth as the team’s play caller — assuming he’s still with the team in 2022.

It feels strange that Carmichael hasn’t gotten more looks in the annual hiring cycle over the years, but it’s not like teams have overlooked him. Here’s his history of interest from other teams:

Maybe he’s a poor interview. Or maybe teams feel he doesn’t have the kind of personality to command a room, or some other nonsense — there isn’t a more low-key speaker than Bill Belichick, for example. Whatever the case, Carmichael has hung around in New Orleans for nearly two decades now.

He’s had his turn at the wheel before. He called plays for most of the 2011 season and all throughout the 2012 season, though Payton took the reins when he returned from suspension. Carmichael got another shot calling plays through the first 11 weeks of 2016 until Payton again took back the headset in time for a revenge game with Gregg Williams’ Los Angeles Rams defense. Payton enjoyed that experience (a 49-21 bulldozing) so much that Carmichael didn’t get another shake until 2021’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which Payton missed after testing positive for COVID-19.

That 2021 game, a 9-0 road win, should probably be thrown out given how toothless the Saints offense was between injuries and coronavirus absences. But the fact Carmichael guided a skeleton crew to a victory over a Super Bowl contender — shoot, the reigning Super Bowl champions — does speak to his abilities to design a game plan and carry it out.

As for his previous experience in the role: Carmichael maximized what Drew Brees could do with a loaded offense at the height of his powers in 2011 and 2012, scoring 908 points across 28 games (an average of 32.4, which would have ranked best in the NFL in 2021). Include the 265 points he scored in 10 games in 2016, when the personnel on offense took a step back from its 2011 and 2012 heights, and his career average drops down to 30.9; only the Dallas Cowboys had a better pace last season (31.2).

Of course that’s a wildly different scenario from where the Saints are now. They don’t have a future Hall of Fame quarterback under center or weapons like Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles, and Marques Colston to work with. That’s not to slander Alvin Kamara or Michael Thomas. It’s just pointing out that the cupboard has grown increasingly bare over the years.

But if nothing else I’m fascinated by what Carmichael would do if given free reign on offense. What lessons has he learned at Payton’s elbow over the years? What does he have to impart on a new quarterback from years working with Brees? Would he pound the table for a talent injection on offense? Which assistants and position coaches would he keep around, and where would he look to improve?

Dennis Allen has gotten a lot of votes from fans to become the next Saints head coach. A popular proposal has had Allen promoted to head coach, retaining Carmichael as offensive coordinator and play caller with a position coach like secondary coach Kris Richard or defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen taking Allen’s spot as defensive coordinator. That might work. The Saints could also consider making Carmichael head coach, too. It’s very early in the process and we just don’t know what Mickey Loomis and the front office are planning behind the scenes.

But whatever comes next, it feels like Carmichael will be involved. That feeling might be due to his enduring presence for so many years in New Orleans — after losing Brees and Payton, the idea of another fixture moving on is almost too much to consider. And this is a golden opportunity for Carmichael to put himself on the map on his own, without Payton or Brees in the spotlight. Let’s see how it goes for him.

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Dennis Allen headlines potential Saints losses to 2022 hiring cycle

Which Saints coaches and execs could depart in the 2022 hiring cycle? Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has to top the list, ass does assistant GM Jeff Ireland:

Few coaching staffs were hit harder last year than the New Orleans Saints, who lost a number of key position coaches to other teams around the league — including their former tight ends coach Dan Campbell, who took secondary coach Aaron Glenn with him to go rebuild the Detroit Lions. Longtime quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi and defensive assistant Michael Wilhoite both joined Brandon Staley’s first-year Los Angeles Chargers regime.

Now the cycle is beginning again, and the Saints could experience more upheaval. So which of their coaches and executives could be on the move as jobs open up across the NFL? Whether they’re considered for a head coach position or a bigger role as a coordinator or assistant, the Saints have some attractive candidates on their roster. Let’s dig in, starting with the most obvious possible departure:

WATCH: Saints cap training camp with the best quarterbacks challenge of 2020

The New Orleans Saints capped off their 2020 training camp with the best quarterbacks challenge of the year, adding coach Pete Carmichael.

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There haven’t been many of the usual quarterback challenges after practice during this year’s New Orleans Saints training camp, but the passers made the most of their opportunity after their final day of work was in the books.

Drew Brees, Taysom Hill, and Jameis Winston were joined by a few new faces in their trick-shot competition on Friday, including a dark horse candidate to win it all: offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Carmichael may not pack quite as much star power as previous guest stars like Zion Williamson and Philip Rivers, but he might have the best arm of anyone on Airline Drive.

See it for yourself in the video we’ve embedded below:

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